With Iginla and Bouwmeester gone, the Flames head into the deadline tomorrow with a majority of their big chips already cashed. With how rapidly and earnestly the org has suddenly embraced a tear down, however, there could be a couple more trades on the horizon.

Calgary has more than a few attractive pieces left, depending on demand and just how close to the bone Feaster wants to cut...

Miikka Kiprusoff

Kipper staying will depend entirely on him. He doesn't have a NTC, but can effectively short circuit any potential deal by refusing to report. Rumors are that Toronto has approached Kipper and his agent about potentially playing there. The Leafs signed Drew MacIntyre to an NHL contract today, but that could either be because they struck out with Kipper and want a third guy available for the playoffs or they convinced Kipper to leave Calgary and are moving one of their other goalies (probably Scrivens) in the deal.

We can only guess which way things will fall for now.

If the Flames are able to get anything besides a toxic asset in return for Kiprusoff, it should be considered a win. Kipper has had a terrible season punctuated by injury, with soon turn 37 years old and is a threat to retire in the summer. The Flames waited too long to leverage Kipper for a quality return, so anything they could get for him now (outside of, say, Mike Komisarek) is good news.

Curtis Glencross

Mark Spector is reporting that a number of teams have interest in Curtis Glencross - and so they should. He's one of the Flames leaders in scoring this year, plays tough minutes, can drive possession in most circumstances and is signed to a cap friendly deal ($2.55M) until 2015.

These are also all the reasons the Flames shouldn't move him outside of an incredible offer, of course.

Mark Giordano

Guys like Robyn Regehr and Doug Murray are demanding two second rounders in the current market, so it's obvious Giordano would command some attention if he was put on the block. Without Bouwmeester, Giordano is one of the few veteran anchors on the back-end and while his contract isn't a bargain ($4.02M until 2016) it's isn't a burden either.

Like Glencross, the Flames shouldn't be in any rush to move Gio.

Lee Stempniak

Tied with Alex Tanguay for the team lead in points, Stempniak has also been one of the Flames best corsi players for two straight seasons and has taken on the big guns for Hartley almost all year. He's also cheap ($2.5M) and signed for one more year.

Because Stempniak's reputation doesn't carry a lot of weight in the league it's unlikely the Flames get anywhere near equal value for him given his performance for the club. Don't move him.

Mike Cammalleri

The most expensive player left on the team, Cammalleri is 30 years old and still a capable enough scorer, although he's certainly not the difference maker his $6M/yer contract suggests. Cammalleri would likely be of interest to a number of clubs looking for offensive depth heading into the post-season without that cap hit, but with one more year left on his deal it makes it a lot tougher to move him.

It's doubtful Cammalleri will want to stay on beyond next year as the Flames rebuild. They can probably shop him at the deadline next year and get a decent return as a result.

Alex Tanguay

The oldest forward not named "Steve Begin" left on the team, the 33-year old Tanguay still has silky smooth hands and an ability to distribute the puck, but his underlying numbers continue to deteriorate every single season. He is also signed until 2016 at a price of $3.5M per year, which isn't a prohibitive cap hit, but the length would probably scare most teams off right now.

Like Cammalleri, I can't imagine Tanguay will want to stay on with Calgary through an extended rebuild. The Flames don't have to move Tanguay in the next 24 hours, but he is probably a guy the club should start quietly shopping as early as the summer to get a feel for the demand and potential return.

The rest

Cory Sarich, Anton Babchuk, Blake Comeau, Chris Butler, Greg Nemisz, Leland Irving and perhaps Roman Cervenka are all likely nominal pieces who don't have much of place in the Flames future. Cervenka is the lone exception who could conceivably stick around and make an impact (assuming he improves and Hartley plays him). If not, Feaster and company should be putting him on the auction block with the rest of the extra pieces to see if they can get anything at all in return.

Conclusion

There's a good chance that, absent a Kipper approved deal, the Flames are more or less done at this point. I personally hope they do not get rid of useful guys like Stempniak, Giordano and Glencross and are lucky enough to move at least one of the support staff for whatever marginal return is available.

Another factor Feaster has to be aware of is the cap floor of $44M next year. The Flames currently have about $40M committed and if Kipper is traded or retires Calgary will be down to approximately $34M heading into the off-season. A deal for another major piece mentioned here means Calgary would have to start reaching to be cap floor compliant in 2013-14.

That's not a major issue - it's easy enough to spend money - but comes with a collection of opportunities and pitfalls. Cap space can be a great asset if used judiciously, but can also be a curse when it causes managers to spend wildly. See Buffalo two summers ago and Florida last year as an example. The last thing the Flames need as they try to put this egg back together is to commit to a bunch of gross overpays in the summer because they had to get to the floor.

I thought Calgary should go do the Dave Tallon rebuild, it worked for one season. A bunch of gross overpays in free agency and the team goes to the conference finals that year. Remember this is a retool not a rebuild.

Well if we are going to flush this thing we may as well get the plunger. If GlenX & Gio give us an "unconditional 1st" plus a "good" prospect, I'd do the deal. We need tools to trade up & potentially get 2 top 10 or ideally top 5 picks. Cammi wont get us a late 1st unless we eat Cap. If Edwards cant connect the dots, well this is going to be a long rebuild & will regret this decision. Now that Bruins have Jagr, a Cerevenka to Boston possible?

Is a Brian Burke to replace Feaster as GM & President of Hockey Ops & King to President of the rest & the new arena possible, like in the next 12 hours?

I think getting rid of Cammilleri now would be the only major deal I would pursue before the deadline. He would garner a pretty nice return I'd think. 2nd + prospect perhaps or maybe even pry a 1st from Columbus as Cammi seems like the kind of player they really need.

More importantly though, guys like Glencross, Tanguay and Stempniak are on quite affordable deals, and can all play top 6. Especially Glencross. I'd wait until the draft/summer to deal them and GM's will realize they need more affordable players. A competent GM could probably get a steal of a deal or two.

Between Tanguay, glencross, comeau and Cervenka/Cammi (sort of) we have a lot of LW's in our top 9. I think regardless we need to make room for Baertschi next year, so something's gotta give...

Feaster has put the Flames in a position where he will pick and chose top talent as teams are forced to comply with the new cap of $64MM. To date he simply cleared $14M in salary with 2 players alone.

I still think he will deliver and getting an additional 2 first rounders in a deep draft is a bonus.

To all the arm chair GM's who expected Sidney Crosby in return for a soon to be 36 year old worn out veteran with a contract demand to be traded to only 1 team and an under performing defensemen with $6.8M cap hit next year.....

Not to put words into @the-wolf's mouth, but I don't think he was limiting that to St. Louis. Reportedly JBo had around 8 teams on his list. It's probably a good bet that if Feaster was willing to eat maybe 1/3 of that salary for the last year of that contract, he may of been able to garner a higher end prospect. All theoretical I know, but it really looks to me as though Feaster isn't trying to think outside the box - he's really hung up on getting picks at all costs ...probably to spend on NCAA kids he 'really likes' ..again: #UGH

I'd really like to see Roman Cervenka stay on as a Flame, but I also think we've really mismanaged him, so he probably won't if he has any other options.

According to capgeek, I see a whole bunch of players non-roster players are either RFA's or UFA's this year, including guys like Neimsz, Irving, Lamb, Aliu, Bouma, Carson and some guys whose names I never hear. How many of these guys are good enough players or prospects to get re-signed? Could we end up with a bunch of roster space to go with our expanded cap space?

Feaster has put the Flames in a position where he will pick and chose top talent as teams are forced to comply with the new cap of $64MM. To date he simply cleared $14M in salary with 2 players alone.

I still think he will deliver and getting an additional 2 first rounders in a deep draft is a bonus.

To all the arm chair GM's who expected Sidney Crosby in return for a soon to be 36 year old worn out veteran with a contract demand to be traded to only 1 team and an under performing defensemen with $6.8M cap hit next year.....

Job well done Jay!

I totally agree that we're in good shape, we just need to execute. That means drafting well, fostering a top notch prospect development system and adding free-agents with both term and compensation that ultimately benefits the flames, while leaving future flexibility (the CBA should save Feaster from himself).

I definitely think there's opportunity there as well, but Feaster will have to proceed cautiously. As we've seen at this deadline, team's aren't eager to move quality players of any sort. More likely, GMs with cap issues will be looking to move their garbage and mistakes much more often than anyone worth a damn.

That's not to say it's impossible, but there are landmines everywhere.

Not to put words into @the-wolf's mouth, but I don't think he was limiting that to St. Louis. Reportedly JBo had around 8 teams on his list. It's probably a good bet that if Feaster was willing to eat maybe 1/3 of that salary for the last year of that contract, he may of been able to garner a higher end prospect. All theoretical I know, but it really looks to me as though Feaster isn't trying to think outside the box - he's really hung up on getting picks at all costs ...probably to spend on NCAA kids he 'really likes' ..again: #UGH

@VF

Feaster himself admitted that it greatly narrowed the field. By some reports, to just 2 teams, the Blues and Wings.

It's also been widely reported (especially TSN) that the big stumbling block for the Blues was JBo's salary.

Retaining cap space kills 2 birds with 1 stone:

1) better return;

2) less worry about the cap floor without having to overspend.

Feaster's own comments on the Fan state that he's big on keeping cap space and other team's might have trouble retaining players, which would seem to indiate that they plan to make a big splash in the UFA and trade markets.

But is that wise? The UFA pool doesn't seem great and there's no way of possibly knowing who will be available or how many teams can/can't make their own cap situations work.

It's like rolling the dice, but being blind folded and spun in circles first. You don't even know if the dice are going to hit the table, let alone how they roll.

Plus, I thought this was a rebuild. So to heck with expensive guys other teams can't keep and UFAs. Get back every asset possible from the players the Flames are moving out and keep enough vets, that you already have plenty of, to ease the transition.

Not to put words into @the-wolf's mouth, but I don't think he was limiting that to St. Louis. Reportedly JBo had around 8 teams on his list. It's probably a good bet that if Feaster was willing to eat maybe 1/3 of that salary for the last year of that contract, he may of been able to garner a higher end prospect. All theoretical I know, but it really looks to me as though Feaster isn't trying to think outside the box - he's really hung up on getting picks at all costs ...probably to spend on NCAA kids he 'really likes' ..again: #UGH

I heard today that the list of teams with serious offers for JBo was actually just two, Detroit and StLouis, and Detroit wasn't ready to put a 1st round pick into play.

Feaster hasn't got a long history of drafting NCAA guys in the 1st (I can't think of any off the top of my head). I suspect that the focus on College guys in the trades was more from a sense that they had scouted them very well (thanks Weisbrod!) and saw value there where the teams that held them didn't.

Feaster has put the Flames in a position where he will pick and chose top talent as teams are forced to comply with the new cap of $64MM. To date he simply cleared $14M in salary with 2 players alone.

I still think he will deliver and getting an additional 2 first rounders in a deep draft is a bonus.

To all the arm chair GM's who expected Sidney Crosby in return for a soon to be 36 year old worn out veteran with a contract demand to be traded to only 1 team and an under performing defensemen with $6.8M cap hit next year.....

Job well done Jay!

"To all the arm chair GM's who expected Sidney Crosby in return for a soon to be 36 year old worn out veteran with a contract demand to be traded to only 1 team and an under performing defensemen with $6.8M cap hit next year....."

Not that I really think he could help the team a lot, but I think Komisarek should be brought back as part of a Kiprusoff trade. We traded Toronto a 2nd to take Primeau off our books, we traded a 2nd to Buffalo for the same reason with Kotalik. I think Feaster can get at least that in return and it might excite the Leafs enough to sweeten the deal?

For once, the_wolf and I are on the same page. Burning the team right to the ground may have appeal to some, but it adds years to the time it takes to come back.

That said, if Glen-X can get us a 4th 1st rnd pick, I'd do it.

Has to be more, in my opinion. And I may be in the minority, but I'm a fan of the idea of treating players like people (regardless of the fact that they're millionaires who have fun for a living), particularly when they've given us good reason to. That means, for Glencross, he only goes to Edmonton if anywhere (because he wanted to stay in Alberta and signed a very nice deal in order to facilitate that), and the return has to be very substantial (e.g. Edmonton's 1st and 2nd in 2013).

I just don't how you can jump to that conclusion though. How do you even know St.Lou (or anyone) asked Feaster to eat part of the contract? It's not like there is a precedent here where Feaster WAS asked at some point and he refused.

As for getting higher end prospects, I think you're dreaming if you thought they were going to get Rattie or Schwartz.

Has to be more, in my opinion. And I may be in the minority, but I'm a fan of the idea of treating players like people (regardless of the fact that they're millionaires who have fun for a living), particularly when they've given us good reason to. That means, for Glencross, he only goes to Edmonton if anywhere (because he wanted to stay in Alberta and signed a very nice deal in order to facilitate that), and the return has to be very substantial (e.g. Edmonton's 1st and 2nd in 2013).

I know Darryl already broke that wall, but trading with Edmonton.....just....no thank you.

If we can stay near the floor this year, come 2014 deadline, the draft, & FA, we could quickly add some talent to a team with a prospects who've had a year to grow with experience.

The problem is UFAs don't sign with terrible rebuilding teams. You get scraps. The Oilers learned that no amount of overpay even helps. Good players in the prime 3-4 years of their career don't sign on with bottom 5 teams.

We need to get better first THEN start talking UFAs. We couldn't overpay Brad Richards last year. He didn't want to come to a middling team. Imagine trying to convince him to come and help a team start a rebuild. It'll never happen.

I definitely think there's opportunity there as well, but Feaster will have to proceed cautiously. As we've seen at this deadline, team's aren't eager to move quality players of any sort. More likely, GMs with cap issues will be looking to move their garbage and mistakes much more often than anyone worth a damn.

That's not to say it's impossible, but there are landmines everywhere.

I agree, but I think those teams will be at a disadvantange. Feaster will have the upper hand, which he hasnt really had thus far.

We may take back bad contracts and middling players but we will have the strength, in those situations, to command higher end prospects (who arent part of the teams salary cap yet) to go along with them...

I'm more excited for this offseason/draft than I have been basically ever...

Do you not think we would have been better off eating some salary from J-bo or potentially Cammi, Tanguay etc in exchange for a better return? My concern is that we keep getting fleeced in these trades, (acquiring below average returns while ridding ourselves of hefty contracts) and then go out next season and throw money at over-inflated contracts just to get to the floor. I would rather have some legit prospects and carryover some salary to make the floor.

The Flames must keep Glencross, Giordano, Brodie, Backlund, Stempniak, and Baertchi. They won't move Hudler and Wideman. With that group intact, you can fill the holes left (and I know there are many) with the players you don't trade and/or the likes of Breen, Bouma, etc until the new wave is ready.

We have no reason to make a big splash come ufa time. I think a couple short term, contract friendly pick-ups two weeks in is all we should consider.

Kipper, as much as I am a huge fan , has become a rapidly declining asset. Any return of significance would offset some of the recent blunders.

As far as Babchuk, do you really think he would command anything? I don't think he's tradeable.

I'd prefer us to move our soft guys, the ones that are pretty easy to play against, like Tanguay, Butler in particular.

We need to be a larger tougher team, which is why I think we should keep Sarich around as a swap in 5-6 defenceman who can mentor the younger guys, like Carson, Breen, Kulak etc should they come up to fill gaps. Babchuck seems to be on his way out, but I saw Smith go down pretty awkwardly at the end of the last game vs EDM so maybe he'll swap in.

Our D needs to size up, tough up, hit up a lot more while still maintaining mobility.

I love our piling up of picks, it sets us up great for the draft, out cap space is gutted, 48 guys left on contracts.

I'd give cervenka another shot if he'll stick around for next year.

I'd say keep Comeau around but it seems like he just doesn't have hands, he bangs and skates...but not quite well enough for my liking. If you can get something for Stajan, I'd say do it as well.

I would like to keep Stemps around, Glencross is our biggest chip after a Kipper deal, we could get a decent return for him.

Next year I would like to See Taylor as our backup and then bring over Ramo, Ortio to see how they shape up.

Has to be more, in my opinion. And I may be in the minority, but I'm a fan of the idea of treating players like people (regardless of the fact that they're millionaires who have fun for a living), particularly when they've given us good reason to. That means, for Glencross, he only goes to Edmonton if anywhere (because he wanted to stay in Alberta and signed a very nice deal in order to facilitate that), and the return has to be very substantial (e.g. Edmonton's 1st and 2nd in 2013).

I too am a fan of treating players like people, but barring Glen-X having a NMC that inhibits where he can be moved (and I think he is one of the few guys who doesn't have one), the leverage is in managements hands - and as such, they should use it.

That all said, if Edmonton were to offer up their 1st for Glen-X I'd take it - if only because Edmonton is the one team I seriously think could knock St Louis out of the playoffs.

I don't KNOW any more (or any less) about what was offered than you do. I'm saying that given Feaster's woody for first rounders he probably disregarded anyone who wouldn't put a first rounder on the table. Probably didn't even try to offer eating part of the salary if it would have meant bringing back ..say ..er Rattie.

If Baertschi were to spend the rest of the year in Abbotsford, would he still be an NHL rookie next year?

Just saying, a calder winner might be the only thing to be excited about next year in what will be a long season of losing.

It doesn't look like the Heat are gonna make playoffs this year. They started out hot, but fizzled out over the stretch. Baertschi has helped, he is playing with Horak and Reinhart last game I went to, looked like a mega energy line.

I too am a fan of treating players like people, but barring Glen-X having a NMC that inhibits where he can be moved (and I think he is one of the few guys who doesn't have one), the leverage is in managements hands - and as such, they should use it.

That all said, if Edmonton were to offer up their 1st for Glen-X I'd take it - if only because Edmonton is the one team I seriously think could knock St Louis out of the playoffs.

"To all the arm chair GM's who expected Sidney Crosby in return for a soon to be 36 year old worn out veteran with a contract demand to be traded to only 1 team and an under performing defensemen with $6.8M cap hit next year....."

No one ever said that.

I think you missed my point entirely...yes no one ever said that but certainly the expectations that fans have stated are in my view unreasonable.

The key to the trades was the 1st rounders and the clearing of cap space which enables you do execute your rebuild plan more effectively.

I also note with today's transactions those high end prospects are simply not being made available!

Not that I really think he could help the team a lot, but I think Komisarek should be brought back as part of a Kiprusoff trade. We traded Toronto a 2nd to take Primeau off our books, we traded a 2nd to Buffalo for the same reason with Kotalik. I think Feaster can get at least that in return and it might excite the Leafs enough to sweeten the deal?

I was thinking the same thing in a Kipper or Cammi deal with the leafs. No we don't want him but if the boss says you can take some dough back then I'm really tempted if the rest of the bait is big and tasty enough.

We've been flying around the continent for two years with Babs and Sarich in the jump seats so the pilots will be lonely if they don't do something.

"Hello Captain Stubing...I'm Mike Komisarek is anyone using that seat? I hear you used to drive cruise ships."

Feaster has to be careful, you cannot completely gut the team. The Islanders and Panthers were bad teams for a decade.My feeling is Kipper will be moved, if they move Glencross they really have to make sure its a player who can make an impact in the lineup now. Cammy and Tangs are brutal defensively, a combined -24. Cammy should be the next to go.

The interesting thing will be to see what will the Flames do in the offseason because there is a gap in talent and none of the prospects are likely to be on the roster next season. They will have a lot of cap room and will be able to make good hockey trades with value because a lot of teams now will have to unload those contracts as the cap is going down.